1. Field
The present invention relates to a valve assembly that is used to inflate and deflate a inflatable chamber with a low pressure inflation fluid and more particularly to a multi-chambered valve assembly for inflating and deflating a plurality of inflatable chambers with a gas like air.
2. The Relevant Technology
A number of products used to support a person are configured with multiple chambers that are inflatable with a low pressure fluid like air at room temperature. Some of the chambers have at least one side wall constructed of a flexible material. Some have multiple side walls constructed of a flexible material. The chambers may be in any number of different geometric shapes and sizes and generally have a volume of less than about 1 cubic foot when normally inflated and not supporting a user.
The inflatable chambers can feel “soft” or “hard” to the touch based on the pressure of the inflation fluid (e.g., air). Only a small change (e.g., 0.1 pounds per square inch) in the inflation pressure results in a change between the a “soft” feel and a “hard” feel. One such product is a medical bed and more specifically, an inflatable mattress that is constructed to have multiple chambers. Each of the multiple chambers can be selectively inflated and deflated. U.S. Pat. No. 7,219,380 (Beck, et al.) discloses such a bed.
Other products may also be constructed to have multiple inflatable chambers in which a small change in the fluid pressure results in a change in the feel between “hard” and “soft” such as a wheel chair, a chair, an operating room table, and any other support structure having inflatable chambers and used to support a human.